couple of RWC questions

[clutch]

got my roady today, here's the major stuff

steering rack needs to be changed
power steering pump to be changed
rear drums and shoes
auto pan gasket and filter


how hard is it to replace the above myself? more specifically, the steering rack. and how much is a reco?

cheers

car is a vk

[ari666]

350 changeover for a steering rack. may get it cheaper. the wreckers will have a good used one. whats wrong with it?

whats wrong with the pump? might be cheaper off getting a manual rack

i hhate drum brakes, steer well clear of them. dunno how you feel about them but i send drums to brake specialists

pan gasket and filter??? wtf does the filter have to do with rwc? get a new RWC guy mate.

[clutch]

he said hed do the filter at the same time, mayaswell.

a manual rack? whats the difference?

why are drums and shoes hard to work with it?

he said 374 to do the rack, he said theres lots of movement in it.??????????????

[DerekP]

Drums are a pain because you have to deal with springs, wheel cylinders and other fiddly bits. Done it once, never agian!

Power steer rack has a hydrualic system running through it, manual doesn't.

[ari666]

he said 374 to do the rack, he said theres lots of movement in it.??????????????

thats not bad, and not good. depends on how tight you are and how much you can do. problem with the rack is you need to get your wheels straight. you can take as many measurements as you like but you have to get it pretty perfect. otherwise you may end up paying for a wheel alignment too, and most tyre places wont do it on old tyres so yeah... its kinda' a good price.

the filter and gasket i would do myself 100% its not that hard to do. probably about 12 bolts holding the pan on, then just use some RTV high temp silicone instead of a gasket.

but i'd still like to know why the pump needs to be replaced.

[clutch]

the power steering pump is busted, i filled it last night and it just pissed out of the front of it where the wheel for the belt sits on, so the front seal is gone???

i might just pay for it to get done, i dont know if i want to do anything big like a rack or something, my dad can probly help me with the drums though... even if it is hard. although he said 200 to do them, maybe its worth him doing it????

the rest of the rwc items are bushes and its and pieces u need special tools for.

[DerekP]

$200 to do drums sounds a bit high - is he machining them also? They are fiddly but not impossible and certainly shouldn't be that hard for a mechanic to do.

[clutch]

price is for drums and shoes

i checked the price of drums and theyre pretty high?

[DerekP]

Whats wrong with the drums? Are they warped or badly grooved?

If the drums are shagged get some good used ones from a wrecker, get some reco'ed (swap) shoes and do it yourself, save your money. Fiddly but not over the top in the difficult stakes - I just couldn't be ar$sed personally doing it myself, but then again I don't remember the last car I had that had drum brakes...

[Darren_L]

drums are probably oversize and/or badly scored.
drum brakes are a bit fiddly, but not difficult. Make sure you back the handbrake cable right off first. Just pull one side apart at a time so you can check the other side if you forget where everything goes.

steering rack swap isn't difficult, but you'll really need to get the toe adjustment done after you have done the swap. Have to be fairly lucky to get it right by eye.
power steer pump - just remove it & take it to a steering place and get them to put a kit through it.
auto pan gasket, easy. But make sure the transmission is cool before you do it. The oil is thicker and won't burn you when it runs down your arms

[Powerbait]

drums are probably oversize and/or badly scored.
drum brakes are a bit fiddly, but not difficult. Make sure you back the handbrake cable right off first. Just pull one side apart at a time so you can check the other side if you forget where everything goes.

steering rack swap isn't difficult, but you'll really need to get the toe adjustment done after you have done the swap. Have to be fairly lucky to get it right by eye.
power steer pump - just remove it & take it to a steering place and get them to put a kit through it.
auto pan gasket, easy. But make sure the transmission is cool before you do it. The oil is thicker and won't burn you when it runs down your arms

Listen to this post , its spot on.

[DerekP]

Make sure you back the handbrake cable right off first. Just pull one side apart at a time so you can check the other side if you forget where everything goes.

Exactly what I did when I learnt to change drum brakes at the tender age of 15 on my old mans Austin Kimberly MKII!!

And also, if you are not using a hoist make sure you chock the front wheels properly!

[ari666]

power steer pump - just remove it & take it to a steering place and get them to put a kit through it.

yeah this too ^^^ power steering pumps can really add up if you are replacing them.

[vkberlina]

yeah this too ^^^ power steering pumps can really add up if you are replacing them.

If you want a quick way order an exhange pump and hand yours over when they give the new one.

I may have a really good VK 6 pump sitting in the shed if yoyur interested

Scott

[clutch]

thanks for the info guys

thanks vkberlina but you're in nsw, i assume postage would be quite a bit to vic